Question 1: Mass. Nurses Association concedes defeat

Tuesday

Voters in Massachusetts have rejected a ballot question that would have set patient-to-nurse ratio limits in Bay State medical facilities, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Voters in Massachusetts have rejected a ballot question that would have set patient-to-nurse ratio limits in Bay State medical facilities, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

“I’m very disappointed by tonight’s results and the impact that this will have on our patients,” said Donna Kelly–Williams, of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, as reported by our media partner, WCVB-TV.

The ballot question would have established nurse-to-patient ratios in various hospital units and set penalties for hospitals that failed to comply.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association supported the question, while hospitals and doctors' groups opposed it. The two sides combined had spent more than $30 million to make their case to voters.

Supporters said the nurse staffing requirements would make patients safer, but opponents said it would create an overly rigid system that could result in hospitals being forced to turn away some patients.

California is the only other U.S. state with mandated nurse-to-patient ratios.